"THE FORGOTTEN EMPIRE"
Exhibition by Sarah Jabbari
Iran
© Sarah Jabbari
A group of Zoroastrian women prepare food for the religious celebration of Sadeh in the kitchen of the Zoroastrian Fire Temple area. Thousands of Iranian Zoroastrians and non-Zoroastrians left the country after the Islamic Revolution and still do. The number of official Zoroastrians in Iran has been rapidly reduced in the last 40 decades. In Iran, the death penalty would punish the reversion from Islam to the Iranian religion of Zoroastrianism. Zoroastrian Center, Kerman, Iran.
Exhibition Curator: Sandeep Biswas
>> The photographer's work may be accessed through the menu on the left.
VASA Exhibitions is presenting "THE FORGOTTEN EMPIRE" by Sarah Jabbari
The significance of the story lies in its originality and uniqueness. The general approach in representing Iran is either an Islamic narrative or the Westernized Iranians who do not fit into the Islamic narration. Therefore, as a young Iranian photographer with a deep understanding of the Iranian religion and history, I decided to narrate one side of Iran's reality, focusing on the country's cultural elements in the photographs. The project aims to throw light on the side of reality that photographers are not interested in. Therefore, the story becomes a voice for the voiceless Iranians concerned with their country's past and future.
>> The photographer's work may be viewed through the menu to the left.
© Sarah Jabbari
Iranian people are standing behind bars, not allowed to enter the area of the Sadeh festival, the festival of fire, as they are not officially Zoroastrian. Though Sadeh is a national celebration, the government has recently restricted it. Sadeh is the celebration of honouring the fire and wishing for the end of the dark, cold winter. Zoroastrian Center, Kerman, Iran.
On VASA Exhibitions:
VASA, since 2008, has provided an international platform for individual and group exhibitions, collaborative exhibitions with various organizations and galleries and exhibitions that follow a particular theme or inquiry such as “Where Do We Go Now” curated by Rui Cepeda and the “Kharkiv School of Photography: Soviet Censorship to New Aesthetics” curated by Igor Manko and "Why??" curated by Sandeep Biswas.
VASA Exhibitions are international and multicultural. The curatorial team has strived to present work that not only represents the photographers but also the social, historical and cultural. As an online international project, VASA works to engage various digital tools. Video, as an example, not only offers the potential for the presentation of works, it provides the opportunity and framework for the voice of the author to be seen and heard. Through image, text, sound and animation, VASA works to expand the exhibition paradigm and provide a rich experience for the viewer (as well as the author).
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VASA Exhibitions (a program in VASA) includes images, videos and sound works.